It should be appreciated that a number of the jockeys named were, in fact Flat rather than Jumps performers.

We all feel sad when a horse dies no matter under which rules. However. I do wonder how many of the horses running under National Hunt rules would still be alive if the sport did not exist. Many would have been sold to France for instance to serve as a culinary delight. So, many horses owe their continued existance to Jumps racing. Their handlers treat them with great care and they enjoy good food and exercise because of the care of their owners and others involved in racing. Far, far better, in fact, than would be the case without Jumps racing.

The Grand National fences have been reduced and modified so many times but I doubt that there has been any significant fall in the attrition rate.

So, let's ban horse racing and improve the French economy through a massive reduction in the price of horseflesh. Let us get rid of one of the few remaining areas where this country still has an edge over the opposition. Let us really affect the unemployed situation and add to the economic gloom. Oh! And yes - let us remove this source of enjoyment for hundreds of thousands of people. They shouldn't be enjoying themselves!

Horse trainer's use animals to train and race them.
Supermarkets use animals to feed people.

Sorry drogerson, this doesn't hold water and would be a gift to enemies of the sport.

The use of animals for food is a fundamental necessity unless we all decide to become vegans. Use of animals in sport is not a necessity. However, banning the use of animals in sport would seriously increase their mortality rate!

Incidentally, despite the great efforts of the Greyhound Trust, I wonder how many of our canine friends are put down once their short racing career is over. Far, far more than those horses which come to the end of their Flat racing career. None of the media pick up on that. No spectacle to complain about. No news to sell. It is so hard to avoid becoming a cynic!

Just a point here. Around 4000 racehorse retire every year, most retired AND healthy but shit racehorces who go into training but never see a race DO end up at the slaughterhouse and then to the dinner tables of france and europe.....and if youre interested to see just how many animals die during races ( not forgetting there will be many traing accidents too ! ) http://www.horsedeathwatch.com/ follow this link ...Its all very well making light of this and insisting there is no case to answer, but this is a serious issue, so please, despite all the rhetoric, lets back up our arguments with facts so we can discuss this rationally